Risk in Exploration

Space exploration affords numerous benefits, but there are inherent risks. On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff, killing all seven crew members. This was neither the first nor the last such tragedy. After a congressional investigation of the Challenger disaster, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) changed its procedures and the U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to space exploration.

“Shuttle Explodes,” Concord Monitor, New Hampshire, January 28, 1986

NASA chose high school teacher Christa McAuliffe of Concord, New Hampshire, from more than 11,000 applicants for its new Teacher in Space Program. Her selection drew national attention to the shuttle program, and students nationwide were excited at the prospect of science lessons from space. McAuliffe’s death made the tragedy particularly poignant.

Serial and Government Publications Division, Library of Congress

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The House Committee on Science and Technology, which had investigated earlier incidents in NASA’s Apollo program, held hearings on the Challenger disaster. The committee report made more than a hundred recommendations for changes in the space program. NASA agreed to all of them and space shuttle operations resumed.

Serial and Government Publications Division, Library of Congress

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President Ronald Reagan's State of the Union message to Congress, February 4, 1986

President Ronald Reagan’s 1986 State of the Union message to Congress originally was scheduled for January 28, the evening of the Challenger explosion. After postponing the event for a week, the president paid tribute to “the brave seven” and affirmed the nation’s commitment to the space program.

We paused together to mourn and honor the valor of our seven Challenger heroes. And I hope we are now ready to do what they would want us to do—go forward America, reach for the stars.

Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives and Records Administration

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Space Shuttle Challenger Wreckage, NASA, ca. April 18, 1986

This photograph of a fragment of the Challenger’s right wing was part of the evidence gathered by the House Committee on Science and Technology for its investigation of the crash. Investigators determined that the cause of the accident was the effect of cold weather on the “O-ring” pressure seal of the right solid rocket booster.

Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, National Archives and Records Administration